Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Jack Pyke is an author of immense talent and a every book she writes totally blows us away and ends up in on our all time favourites shelf. Broken Ink is no exception, a paranormal/sci-fi dark psychological thriller, a change from her contemporary novels but no less genius. We are delighted that Jack was able to pop into Sinfully today to tell us about that change and some of the music that has inspired her writing.

You can also enter the giveaway for your chance to win a copy of this AMAZING book!

And… Don’t forget, through out December we are running our December: 5 for ME! ~ 5 for YOU! Giveaway… all you need to do is answer the questions on our posts during the month of December.

Broken Ink by Jack L. Pyke

Synopsis

Stolen and Stained.

Carrying a tattoo on your skin no longer just comes with a risk of infection. Get the composition right, you have the latest mind-control drug on the market. It’s the sex-traders’ dream, or worst nightmare, depending on the concentrated dose of the ink—and just who’s wearing it.For Kiyen, the ink means he’s able to strip raw the minds of the best and worst of society. He’s one of MI7’s top killers and never more driven to select and take down a target. For Falen, the ink has ensured he’s spent his early years as a willing sex slave and low-grade empath. Hiding out in a small town and trying to bury the needs running through his body, Fal’s hoping to stay under the radar of MI7 and their specialist killers. But the ink itself has a mind of its own, wanting to ignite the natural dynamics driving a Dom and sub, so when Kiyen is forced into Fal’s small world, prejudice battles a pure need to touch. Only problem is: Kiyen’s on the run, and in a world where thought can be the worst crime of all, Fal’s in for a fight for his sanity to find out just what it is that’s making a young killer run for his life. (M/M)

Macky’s Review

Jack L Pyke has done it again! Totally blown me awaybecause my experience reading Broken Ink was everything I wanted it to be and more. It's a bit of a cliche reaction but I really did end it feeling WOW!!!! If you've been waiting anxiously, like me, for its release then I can tell you you're not going to be disappointed one bit with this exciting, clever and intricately plotted, dark, kinky story. But one thing I will say is once you start it, you'll need to make sure there are going to be no distractions because it's one of those books where you really need to keep your wits about you, as the journey it takes you on twists, turns and gets under your skin like the living tattoo that adorns Kiyens body and will mess with your head; pulling you so deeply into its clutches, you'll not want to put this down. Real life will cease to exist from the moment you pick it up, to the moment you put it down!

The mistress of psychological warfare, Jack works her mind fuck magic again but this is a completely different feel to anything she's given us up to now. I was completely captivated by its fresh and unusual take on the unexplainable, which in all honesty felt more like I was reading a contemporary BDSM suspense, thriller with a hell of a twist, rather than a full on paranormal/sci-fi. Even though my head kept telling me it could never really happen, the idea of an intelligent ink, modified to control its wearer was something that I could actually imagine a secret government department working on; then the idea that unscrupulous factions could get their hands on it to use it for their own sickening purposes, like human sex trafficking, and the horrific fact that it's children who are being taken, inked and used as sex slaves, made it even more heinous and frighteningly realistic.

The way the book opens, and how we get introduced to the majority of the main players including a very young (5 year old) Kiyen, is enough to push anyone's hard limits because of its nature but it's majorly important to the set up of the story and even though it's not an easy chapter to take on board, by the end of it I was fist pumping as the tables turned in a pretty spectacular but shocking way, and the story took off in a direction I wasn't expecting. At that point it was a case of "Fuck!!! That was intense but thank goodness for the good guys"...

But the question is were they?!?

And that's what's clever about it all. Nothing or nobody, is exactly what it, or they, appear to be on the surface. Just when you think you're beginning to get a handle on what's happening, Jack throws something unpredictable into the equation that blows your perceptions out of the water and you're left on pins again, wondering, and waiting to see what else will pop out out of the woodwork to drive the story towards its breath taking ending.

Every single character in this book is highly important to its plot. Kiyen, or Yen as he's also known, and Falen are the 'romantic' core of the story but it's the support and inclusion of all the other cast members that drives the main storyline of the novel. Each one of them integral to how it all plays out. Yen is an enigma. He's a killer but he's also a truly vulnerable soul. He starts the story just as clueless as us because for a week he's been on the run from MI7, the secret government department who rescued him and the other two First Inks: Connor and Erin. As they grow up in the department they're taught how to control their abilities which include seeing colours to fit the persons personality, to search out, catch and eliminate the traffickers who over the next thirteen years had continued to kidnap children and ink them with a more diluted version of the original ink used on the three of them. Black is evil, blue is good, white is secrets!

That whole weeks memories have been erased, and he has no idea by who, where he's been, what he's done in that time or why he's been running in the first place. Accused of taking something extremely important, but having no idea what that 'thing' is, Kiyen is pursued paranormally by an enraged Connor, using the 'ghosting' link they share which lets them track their prey, using mirrors or anything reflective as a conduit; only this time Connor is using it to stalk and terrorise him. Yen is a natural Dominant but through the kink-link that the ink creates, and by 'locking' Kiyens ink; Connor is able to get into his psyche and manipulate him into submitting, forcing him to suffer some intense, sexually sadistic BDSM encounters that he finds hard to fight. Their close relationship, which includes Erin, is complicated and all consuming to begin with because of the dynamics and history they share...information that is drip fed to us slowly; and things only start to make sense when Jack wants them to. SO clever… because all the way through you're questioning the actions and decisions made by the characters but only because you get so caught up in the intricacies of the story and the mind sets of everyone involved, that you become totally focused on finding out what's going on in each of their heads and where those actions and decisions will take the story next. These are not easy people to read and neither are they always open with each other...So in turn we as readers are constantly kept on our toes as secrets and lies draw us even further into the mystery and blackness surrounding Kiyen.

Through a series of misadventures he comes into contact with a set of people who become influential in his life. Harry and Sandra: a fireman and his wife who have no inkling of what's happening, but still take him in...Matt: the tattoo artist forced to ink him as a child, who has been trying to atone since for what he did under duress, by helping some of the Second Ink generation release the dangerous, pent up sexual feelings that can drive them to a point of madness... Falen: a Second Ink who Kiyen is inexplicably drawn to and Fal's angry father Ben: an ex army guy, whose hatred of First Inks is linked to something that happened to his wife while he was trying to find Fal, snatched way from his parents and inked when he was eight and sold into the sex trade. Then there's the commanding but ambiguous Jule...leader of MI7. A father figure and mentor to Kiyen, Connor and Erin but a man whose agenda is yet another grey area to fathom in the key of things. How all these people's lives interlink and how Jack manages to weave the many threads together to connect everything after all the misdirection is genius...an awesome experience. It was like doing a jigsaw. You know how sometimes you think you've put the right piece in but later down the line you realise that it wasn't actually in the right place after all and by making that mistake you totally alter the path to the end of the puzzle; so you find the right one and suddenly all the other pieces don't fit right any more? Well that's what reading this was like and I loved being played like that myself.

Although this has a truck load of meat on its bones in terms of its central multi faceted storyline and core plot, it's still a love story and ultimately a beautiful one at that. Yen and Fal as a couple are at time's explosive and combustible when they're in each other's company; at odds with each other's status and beliefs when it comes to how being inked has influenced their lives, but there's still an underlying tenderness and poignancy during those encounters that also tugs at your heart.

Both dysfunctional, broken and emotionally defective because of what they've gone through, it's not easy for them to connect, and there's always the thought that it's the ink impelling their urges, and it's own need to kink-link, that's drawing them to each other. Without it would there be as intense a chemistry?!? But there's no doubt that the pull towards each other is strong and when they're on page together their interactions are riveting and sometimes surprisingly romantic considering the violence and inhumanity that's going on in the background.

"You don't take." He gave a soft brush of lips against Fal's. "It's given." Resting his head briefly on Fal's shoulder, he said quietly, "Given so fucking freely just for the honour of having you lie down with me."

It's dark, gritty, meaty, provocative, sensual, compelling, emotional, exciting, thought provoking, intriguing, smart, thrilling, raw, hard core, kinky, squirmy....the list goes on...and it shows again just what an amazing writer Jack Pyke is. Her distinct word play and down to earth but beautifully descriptive writing style gets to me every time. Sometimes just her musings about commonplace, every day aspects in her books have me highlighting passages because I love how she can take something that on the surface is simply mundane, but still manage to give it a depth that takes it from just ordinary filling in style information, to something atmospheric and visually descriptive.

'Move a little further down towards the traffic lights, the high street seemed to physically narrow and decline before your eyes withering into the grey and dismal side of a ghost town. It was if all the money had been poured into one end of the street, whilst the rest was left choking as it tried to catch up. The village had that typical sneeze and you've missed it feel, yet there were enough side streets and walkways that led away from the main high street to put a bad case of varicose veins to shame.'

But it's in her graphic, pushing the boundaries imagination that she really embodies the phrase "taking a journey to the dark side" because that's where you go with her novels and its a deep, shady, delicious journey I'm happy to take with her anytime.

Warning...if you want light and fluffy then step away from the kindle but if you want to go into the darkness and get your kink on then I'm afraid to say once you go Jack, you never go back!

Buy it Here

A word from Jack L. Pyke

Crossing genres, Favourite Scenes, & Playlists

I think most authors like to listen to music as they write, or at least have some habit that gets them in the mood for writing. It doesn’t matter which genre kicks my writing into gear, whether I’m handling the more contemporary BDSM lifestyles within the Don’t series or going a little darker with the paranormal/sci-fi tint in Broken Ink, mine still remains music. It’s rare I’ll write without it, to the point it can play havoc with my writing time if I can’t trace the tracks I know will help free up the writing tension.

Whether it’s sci-fi, steampunk, historical or political in content, human faults and flaws will blur the boundaries between genres. Shifting to another genre, in my humble opinion, just opens up new ways to heighten those relationship developments. To help keep my feet firmly on the ground and focused on the faults and flaws within a relationship, music slips back into focus. It seems to come full circle in what I do and love. And as I’m celebrating two scary, thrilling, utterly hectic and fledgling years of being published, I’d just like to have a look back at a few of my favourite scenes, and see just what my playlist looked like at the time of writing.

Don’t.

This novel was the first step into, well... anything, and, hell, it’s hard to pick a favourite from all of the chaos and mind play that takes place in Don’t. I loved introducing Jack, seeing how he loves sleeping and playing so dangerously with all of his “Don’t... come fuck about with me” psychology. But my favourite scene through all of that would have to be when Jack and Jan meet for the first time. Jan’s trying to be so smooth and failing miserably. He ends up dropping his keys and dancing around like a cat clambering out of a canal, saying “Still cool, still cool, right?” There was a lot of innocent urgency in Jan’s look that sold him to Jack, and to me as the author. That incident seemed to set-up Jan’s character from that point forward. On the play list just then: Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran

Antidote (Don’t... book 2).

This one’s hard for so many reasons. Three chapters stand out most of all. Chapter 41, Written in the Darkness. Jan is sleeping next to Gray and Jack comes in and kneels by the bed. Jack’s lost within his psychological reconditioning and he’s just blamed Jan for getting turned on through what happened. Jan’s torn with his own abuse from the psychological reconditioning, and this scene is the first time there’s a glimpse of Jack seeing Jan as his lover. Gray’s there too, and the tenderness and need to lick wounds with each other almost comes through here. Playlist at the time: Broken by Seether Ft. Amy Lee

My second favourite is Chapter 45, Mercedes, Mercedes Fucking Benz. Gray reaches his breaking point with Jack, and, well... this was just such a hard scene. Playlist at the time: My Kind of Love by Emeli Sande.

The last would have to be After Gray from Jack’s POV. I’m such a sucker for a glimpse of crawling out of the shadows, and for how dark Antidote went, that last scene with Jack came with such an unsteady, yet long exhale of breath that hopefully (crosses fingers) eased some of the tension that had been such a hard constant through Antidote. Playlist at the time: What About Now by Daughtry.

Breakdown. (Don’t... book 3)

This one’s so much easier. I loved the scene where Jack finally plucked up the courage to call Gray. Gray never answered the call, leaving Jack finally to face the aftermath of the psychological reconditioning without any painful ties to the past. Playlist at the time: Certain Things by James Arthur.

Broken Ink.

This novel moves into dark (very dark) paranormal sci-fi, with a hint of BDSM, but still plays hard with those relationship faults and flaws. It also looks at a darker side of human nature no young teen should face. For that, I’d have to go with the final scene in Broken Ink as a favourite. I can’t say why here without giving too much away, so I’ll just cover my playlist: Skinny Love by Birdy.

Broken Ink does have a sequel in the planning, but Gray Matters is next in line, book 4 in the Don’t series. And... oh boy, the playlist for that one is extensive, with I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin topping it at the moment.

But even if Broken Ink keeps moving me away from the contemporary genre of the Don’t... series, there’s that lovely comfort zone with music, one that takes away the sting and allows that level of focus for dark themes and the everyday actions and reaction from characters. And hopefully Broken Ink won’t be to “out there” on content because of it! This ink has both a mind, and kink, of its own.

Playlist

Giveaway

Forbidden Fiction is gifting one lucky reader a Paperback copy of Broken Ink… Do not miss your chance to win this book!!!

I enjoy books that push my boundaries sometimes so I can understand a situation or relationship that is new to me, but even so there are some boundaries I will never cross or wish to read about. Although who knows I may find a book in the future that is well written so that I can understand a subject that may have been taboo to me before :)

Seasonal Greetings and thank you for a chance to win a copy of this book

Congratulations on the newest release! I do love all the mind fuckery that goes on in your books! I have bought all three of the Don't series, but still haven't read Breakdown! But I will! You never know what you might like or not like if you don't push a few boundaries in your reading. Fantastic post and interview!

I generally enjoy books that can be outside of my comfort zone, but occasionally there is something that just doesn't resonate with me. Also,books that push the boundaries sometimes take longer for me to read because I just can't take it all in in one sitting.

I do like pushing my boundaries at times, but I really have to be in the right mood for it too. Sometimes I just want a happy, fluffy tale, and that's not the right moment to be picking up something by Jack L. Pyle. LOL

It's like any good BDSM relationship. You have your hard limits - things you're not willing to do under any circumstances - and soft limits - things you're willing to consider if they're done the right way. That's why I think tags are important when including any questionable material in a book. There has to be some kind of warning so that people don't mistakenly pick up a book that will obliterate their comfort zone. And readers have to be honest with themselves about what they can handle. There's enough variety out there for every reader to find the writers that produce the kinds of stories they want. I do like to test my limits occasionally, and I'm willing to give new things a chance, but I also have a pretty good idea of where the lines are for me. I recently had a book recommended by several people, and I gave it a try even though it concerned a hero who kidnapped and raped the heroine, who later falls in love with him, which is a definite hard limit for me. I wasn't able to finish it, but because I'd gone into it with my eyes open, I didn't throw it down and swear never to read that author again. I'll approach her work cautiously, but I decided to cross the line, so I can't blame her for my discomfort.

I like books that push my boundaries, but I have to be in the right mood for them. There are also some boundaries I do not want to cross, for example true non-con (not playing a game with a safe word) as a good thing.

I have to be in the right mood for a book that will do that - also depends on the type of boundary. BDSM isn't too much of a push, but I read the Flesh Cartel series and had to work up to each one - hurt/comfort with massive amounts of hurt!I read Broken Ink on my kindle this afternoon and absolutely loved it. Amazing story and characters. And one of those books that even after finishing it I struggled to stop thinking about it. I may re-read it soon to see what else I pick up on a second read - yes, it really is that good!

I have been considering more and more. I can't lie, I may skim some parts just because some things are just not for me but I find that, for the most part, the actual story is still great and skimming the parts I'm iffy about don't make the book/story any less good

If I like MCs and the storyline I'm going to re-read those books again and again. But if there're too many murders in the book or MC cries a lot, I'm going to stop reading and move the book in "not for me" folder.

I think those are the best kinds of books. I mean, of course there are those that are faint of heart and don't really like that stuff, But I'm in for any and all types of subjects in books. I mean, there are... a FEW things I wouldn't touch like probably complete Sadism that like... stops being erotic and just torture, but I do have a few books that I thought I wouldn't be comfortable with but in the end enjoyed them quite a bit. :D

So I like books that push boundaries because when I do end up liking them It's the most wonderful of all surprises.

I love books that make me think outside of the box. Whether it's sex, lifestyle, or culture - I believe there's always something that we can learn (even from a fictional book). So I love a book that pushes the boundaries and makes me really think about how different things can be and often time the books that make you slightly "uncomfortable" or that touch on "taboo" subjects are the most enjoyable.. at least from my experience :)